Kovels’ Top 20 list of antiques and collectibles is based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that took place on Kovels.com. During April 2015, collectors found for prices for: 1) Fenton glass, 2) Occupied Japan, 3) Bavaria, 4) Dinnerware, 5) Wedgwood, 6) Coca-Cola, 7) Delft, 8) McCoy pottery, 9) Depression Glass, 10) Stove, 11) Capo-Di-Monte ceramics, 12) Pepsi-Cola, 13) Lamps, 14) Hull pottery, 15) Banks, 16) Belleek, 17) Haeger pottery, 18) Scales, 19) Satsuma pottery and 20) Trunks.

Satsuma, No. 19, is a Japanese pottery with an easy-to-identify crackled glaze. It was named for the island where it was made. Almost all Satsuma found today was made after 1860, especially during the Meiji Period, from 1868 to 1912. Most pieces were decorated with blue, red, green, orange or gold. It’s not hard to tell old Satsuma from new. Original pieces have many finely detailed figures and elements. Satsuma made later in the 20th-century has darker colors with fewer and bigger figures.

The vase on stand on the right is old and authentic 1920s Satsuma. It is marked with the Shimazu family crest (a red circle with a cross inside), is 8 1/2 inches high, and sold for $649 at auction in Kansas. The vase on the left is late 20th-century Satsuma style, marked “Made in Japan,” 7 1/2-inches high, and it sold for $43 at a Florida auction. Pottery called Satsuma is still being made. Some of it is wonderful and some is less detailed. Modern copies may have the Shimazu crest, but a savvy collector can tell if it was stamped or printed with a machine.

Collectors who research at Kovels.com can buy knowing the identifying features, marks and prices of antiques and collectibles. Kovels.com and the book, Kovels' Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide, list thousands of collectibles in hundreds of categories that are described, edited, priced and pictured.